The length of the golf iron plays an important role in determining the kind of game the golfer plays on the golf course.
If the golf iron is not of the right length that works well for a player, it can have an adverse effect on the player’s performance. When you pick a golf club, you have to ensure that the length of the golf iron is just about right.
How Long Should Golf Irons Be?
For most golfers, the length of a golf iron should be 38.75 inches.
The height of the player is one of the primary factors that determine the length of the golf irons. There is no average length that can be considered to be suitable for a large number of players.
A player who is 6 feet and 3 inches tall will often not be very comfortable using a golf club that has been designed for a player whose height is 5 feet and 7 inches.
The standard length irons are usually apt for golfers of a certain height range. Players who are very tall or too short may have to make modifications to the shaft length so that it is compatible with their stature.
What is the Standard Length of a 3 Iron?
The standard length of a steel 3 iron is 38.75 inches and 39.25 inches for graphite irons.
The shaft length of the iron hugely influences the direction of the shot, consistency in performance and the distance covered by the golf ball. Till 2012, the 3 iron was the longest iron that was sold in the commercial market.
What is the Standard Length of a 5 Iron?
With steel shafts, the standard length of a 5 iron golf club is 37.5 inches.
With a graphite shaft, the standard length for men is 38 inches and for women, it stands at 37.25 inches. A 5 iron golf club usually offers a 28-degree loft angle.
The 5 Iron is a mid-range golf club featuring an iron clubhead. This is largely used from the rough and the fairway.
It’s also appropriate to use the club in slightly higher surfaces or hilly areas. It helps the player in avoiding the possibility of hitting a low rise shot. It usually helps in covering a distance of 160 yards.
What is the Standard Length of a 7 Iron?
For men, the standard length of a 7-iron with a steel shaft is 37 inches and if it has a graphite shaft, the standard length is 37.5 inches.
A graphite golf club for women has a length of 36.5 inches while a golf club made of steel features a standard length of 36 inches.
The 7 iron golf club is categorized as a mid-iron golf club and features a loft angle ranging from 29 to 33 degrees. The degree varies from one manufacturer to another.
One of the best things about the club is that it works tremendously well for a wide range of shots. The 7 iron’s swing speed ranges from 80 to 83 mph. The swing speed of a golfer, who happens to be a flipper, will be much higher than a player who uses the square to square technique with this club.
What is the Standard Length of a 9 Iron?
The standard length of a steel 9 iron is 35.5 inches.
For female golfers, the average length is 34.5 inches. With graphite shaft, the standard length for men is 34.35 inches and for women, it is 33.75 inches.
A 9 iron club is categorized as a short iron golf club. The 9 iron features a high-mass clubhead and a short shaft. It is very versatile and is particularly useful when a player requires a club to hit from a relatively shorter distance.
A 9 iron club is most appropriate for hitting shots over a moderate distance. The club is also ideal to hit a good shot surrounding obstacles and for delivering airborne shots.
With a loft degree of 41 degrees, the 9 Iron has emerged as the highest lofted golf iron. On average, it covers a distance of 132 yards.
Effects of lengthening Golf Irons
Golfers often use long shafts in their golf clubs as they feel that the club with a longer shaft would help it to cover a large distance. This is not exactly true but lengthening golf irons does have a direct impact on your game and performance.
There are different ways in which you can lengthen your golf iron. Extenders can be added to existing shafts or you can get them replaced with longer ones altogether.
Some effects of lengthening golf irons are:
- Accuracy
- Distance
- Swing weight
- Flexibility
Accuracy
Lengthening the golf iron will have an adverse effect on the accuracy rendered by the club. If the club is too long, the player may find it difficult to hit the golf ball very hard.
The player is more likely to experience this when the ball is placed on the ground and not on a tee. If you use a longer shaft to hit the ball off-center, it might result in an unplanned side spin.
Distance
How far can you hit a club is largely determined by the shaft length of the club. Longer shafts that are installed in short irons and wedges will help in covering a larger distance.
Most golfers find it difficult to swing the shorter clubs. However, when you use long clubs, the extra length can actually help you cover a small distance as increasing the length of the shaft affects the performance of the club.
Swing weight
The swing weight does make a difference to the golf club. The swing weight is represented with the help of a number-letter combination like D3 or C4. When you lengthen golf iron, the club head becomes slightly heavier.
At times, the weight could act as a burden on the player. It will slow down his swing speed and therefore, affect his performance adversely.
Flexibility
When you fit a longer replacement shaft, you have to match it to the original shaft flex. However, if you use extenders to lengthen golf irons, it will alter the flex of the club significantly.
The flexibility of the shaft increases and that, in turn, affects its accuracy. Increasing the length also lowers the shaft’s kick point.
While the change in the kick point largely affects stronger players who have higher swing speeds, even a regular player may feel that the club does not hit the golf ball as hard as it used to earlier.
Should I Lengthen My Irons?
To decide whether or not you should lengthen the golf irons, you must seek the advice of a professional. The biggest change a player feels after lengthening the golf irons is in the way he swings the golf club.
The alterations in the swing weight and the length lend a different feel to the club. These modifications will also have an effect on the player’s mechanics and timing.
This is why it’s important to discuss with a professional when you decide to lengthen the golf irons. By doing this, you will ensure that your performance does not get hampered.
Does lengthening irons change lie angle?
Lengthening the irons does not bring about a change in the measured lie angle but it does slightly alter the effective lie angle. Increasing the length of the iron by half-inch, it will cause 1 degree upright.
Increasing the length of the irons result in an upright lie angle that might help you hit a draw. The increased length also increases the swing weight of the iron.
You will most likely have to swing the club a few times to see whether the new swing weight works well for you. Additionally, a longer shaft will help the golfer hit the ball higher.
Should I shorten my irons?
If you think shortening the irons would work better for you, you may go for it. However, there are a few things you must keep in mind when you decide to shorten your iron.
Shortening the length of a golf iron helps to hit shots at the center of the clubhead consistently. A lot of players feel that their shots are more accurate once they shorten their irons.
Golfers also tend to hit their shots at the center of the club head with irons that have short shafts.
Should Your Irons be the Same Length?
When it comes to single-length irons, the strike rate is seen to be far more consistent than with irons of different lengths.
Some players get trained to play the game with variable length irons and they get comfortable with it over a period of time.
Switching to playing with same length irons would not be advisable for such players. Similarly, if you have been trained to play with irons of similar lengths for a very long time, you might as well continue doing that.
Here are a few reasons why some golfers may prefer using single length irons:
- It’s easy to hit by having a shorter shaft on low-loft irons
- You can have the same swing on all the shots
- The player doesn’t have to reposition the ball or change anything between two shots
How to tell if golf iron is too short?
If the swing path is inside to outside, if your tempo is too fast, if your posture is too bent over or if the ball goes to the right, you can conclude that the golf iron is too short for you.
If you are using a golf iron that is too short, it will eventually reflect in your game soon enough. To prevent it from affecting your game adversely, you must check the length of the golf iron beforehand.
How to tell if the golf iron is too long?
If your posture is too upright, if the ball flight is high and to the left, if the shaft feels too heavy, if the takeaway is wide outside on the backswing or if you hit shots off the golf club’s toes, then you can conclude that the golf iron is too long for you.
Using a golf iron that is too long for you is as problematic as using one that is slightly shorter in size. Once you realize that a golf iron is too long for you, there are a few ways in which you easily shorten the length.
Conclusion
For a golfer, it is very important to use or play with a golf iron that is of the right length. As emphasized in this article, a particular length that works for one player might not be suitable for another player.
Reading this article should have given you a good idea about the average length of different kinds of golf irons. This is the information that would help you pick the right golf club, the one that will contribute towards making your game better.